


Christmas Time Of Year

by DustyOldQrow



Series: Qrow's Pegoryu One-Shots [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Boys In Love, Christmas Eve, Cuddling & Snuggling, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DustyOldQrow/pseuds/DustyOldQrow
Summary: >Hey man. You got any plans for tonight?>I sure don't. But doing nothing with you sounds better than doing it alone.>Whaddya say? Let's meet at your place?Akira has to turn himself in to the police tomorrow. But before then, he's going to spend time with his best friend and crush, Ryuji Sakamoto.(I'm horrible with descriptions. Basically, it's another Ryuji/Akira Christmas Eve fic.)
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Qrow's Pegoryu One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572634
Comments: 11
Kudos: 108





	Christmas Time Of Year

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first thing I've written in quite some time, so if it seems a tad messy, I apologize. This is the first in a series of shipping every member of the Phantom Thieves with each other. I dunno if I'll actually get that far, but I at least wanted to do this one because I love these boys a lot.
> 
> If you have any critiques, please, let me know.
> 
> Title is from "Xmas Time of Year" by Green Day.

“Very well. You can turn yourself in tomorrow morning.”

Akira looks at the woman with a blank expression, betraying no emotion at all. There’s a lot he wants to say to her, but declines to and simply nods. Sae Nijima returns the nod, turns, and walks away, not even sparing a final look at Akira. He stands alone now in the chilly Christmas Eve night. There are people all around him, but he’s still alone.

Christmas is supposed to be a time for joy, to be together with those you love. And here he is, alone in the cold. But... he doesn’t have to be. His heart thumping in his chest and his face red from the cold and his choked up feelings, Akira reads the message on his phone yet again.

_ >Hey, man. You got any plans for tonight? _

_ >I sure don’t. But doing nothing with you sounds better than doing it alone. _

_ >Whaddya say? Let’s meet at your place? _

Ryuji’s texts were never the most eloquent but Akira always felt the charm in them nonetheless. He smiled and let his hand drop to his side as he looked to the night sky. The last night he’d see as a free man for awhile. Why did this have to happen? They’d changed Shido’s heart, and changed the heart of society as a whole... why couldn’t that have been enough? Hadn’t they all been through enough already?

But the police need his testimony. In order to make sure his friends are safe, Akira has to admit to breaking probation and sentence himself to prison. Just his luck, right? The rotten luck that had gotten him expelled and sent to Tokyo in the first place is rearing its ugly head yet again. And now he’d be separated from his best friends, just to keep them safe.

But he knows it has to be done. Because he’d do anything to keep them safe. Akira doesn’t want them to hurt, even though he knows that the news would undoubtedly cause them pain when they find out. And he didn’t want to tell them either, because then he’d see their looks of pain as they realized what he was going to do. They would try to stop him. And that would just hurt everyone.

He should have told Sae he would do it tonight. He should have just disappeared into the night, like a Phantom, like he was supposed to. Just like he disappeared from his hometown. It would be easy - he didn’t have anyone to miss him there, and anyone who missed him here would get over it eventually. He could have made it as painless as possible.

_ >But doing nothing with you sounds better than doing it alone. _

Remembering the text makes Akira bring his phone back to his face so he can stare at it. Ryuji wants to spend time with him tonight. He could do it - respond and meet him back at LeBlanc, and have one last night of good memories before he would be separated from them all. But then Ryuji would see the news in the morning... It would be so, so incredibly selfish of Akira to put him through that.

But... hasn’t he earned that right? To be selfish just this once?

_I’ll be there. < _

It’s with a quiet apology to his friend that Akira sends the text. Then he stuffs his phone back in the pocket of his jeans and begins his way home, for the last time.

* * *

Akira shouldn’t have been surprised that Ryuji’s already waiting for him at the doors to LeBlanc, but he is anyway. In fact, the blonde was probably already on his way there when he sent the text. After stopping for a brief moment in shock, Akira smiles, walks to Ryuji and gracefully accepts his pat on the back.

“Yo, Merry Christmas!” Ryuji bellows, loud as ever with a wide, toothy grin. “Chilly tonight, eh? But there’s still a lotta couples out here.” He says as the two enter the warm cafe. And Ryuji’s right - Akira passed many couples on his way home, while he himself was all alone. And would be alone for the foreseeable future. “But hey,” Ryuji continues as the two slide into a booth. “At least we’ve got each other, eh? What’s that phrase they say in the West?”

Akira allows himself a small grin, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. Ryuji’s English still hadn’t improved much. “Bros before hoes.” Akira states flatly. Ryuji’s face lights up and he lets out a chuckle at the phrase. Akira’s grin turns into a smile, and he lets his hood down from his head. He doesn’t need to hide around his friend. He doesn’t need to wear his mask around him.

Ryuji’s laughter dies down and gradually turns into a sigh as he rests his head on the table. “Not like any girls woulda looked our way anyway, man. And all of the ones we know ain’t available.” Ryuji lifts a finger as he continues. “Ann’s got that thing going with that Shiho girl, Makoto’s way out of our league and Futaba’s like a little sister, man. We’re shit outta luck.”

Akira cocks his head. “What about Haru?”

Ryuji groans and lifts his head again, propping his arm on the top of the back of the booth. “You think a fancy heiress like Haru’s ever gonna get with a guy like me? C’mon, man. Get real. ‘Sides, they’re all our friends. It’s weird to date friends, isn’t it?”

Hiding his eyes behind his jet black hair and the glare of light in his glasses, Akira nods, ignoring the way his heart seems to stop beating for a second. “Sure. Weird.” It’d be weird, right? Regardless of the way Ryuji’s smile makes him feel, it’s weird to date your friends. What if it doesn’t work out? Then what? Akira can’t risk that, not with Ryuji. He can’ lose him.

Akira takes in the smell of coffee to distract him from his thoughts and stares at the boy across from him. Ryuji’s blonde hair catches the glow of the bar’s light and it shines beautifully. His brown eyes suit him well, and some would say his hair’s natural brown would better suit his eyes, but Akira likes the contrast between them. The hair is loud and obnoxious, but his eyes are soft and true, just like Ryuji. It sums up his friend quite well, he says.

Ryuji’s voice snaps Akira out of it. “Anyway, I’m done moping.” He stands and slides out of the booth, putting his hands behind his head. “Let’s head up to your room, yeah? People are starting to show up here.” Ryuji points his thumb behind Akira, who follows his gaze. And sure enough, there’s a couple sitting right behind them, the two women holding hands from across the table as they eat their curry.

“Let’s get outta their way, dude.” Ryuji finishes and extends a hand towards him. Akira stares at it dumbly for just a second before grabbing his friend’s hand in his own. Ryuji smiles and tugs Akira up. On his feet, Akira takes a step or two before letting go of Ryuji’s hand, letting his fingers brush up against Ryuji’s knuckles as they part. If the other boy notices, he declines to comment as they walk towards the back of the cafe and up the stairs.

* * *

“Man, why’s it gotta get so cold out? Makes my leg hurt like hell.” Ryuji complains as he flops onto the couch in Akira’s attic room, landing on his back with his legs sticking out past the arm rest. He rubs at his knee, covering his face with his elbow. “What do you think? Can you stand the cold?”

Akira gives a non-committed shrug as he shakes his jacket off his shoulders and lets it fall to the ground. “I never really cared about the weather,” is all he says as he sits on his bed. Ryuji suddenly shoots up, twisting his body around so he can look at Akira, and shoots him an incredulous look.

“For real? You’re always wearing such light clothing. I thought you’d be one for the heat.” He turns back around to lay on his back and folds his arms over his chest. “Guess I was wrong.” Akira stays silent, mouth agape ever so slightly. He’s suddenly glad he took off his jacket and was only left with his white t-shirt and jeans.

At his silence, Ryuji continues. “What? You find it odd that I noticed what you wear? Come on dude, you’re one of those people who look good in anything they wear. Of course I’d notice which kinda clothes you wear most often.” He shrugs at his own words. “You and Ann, it’s no fair. You both look great in everything. And _she’s_ the model!”

Akira stays silent for a few moments before smirking and kicking his legs on to the bed, lying on his back. “You think I look good?” He says, a teasing smirk finding its way on his face. Ryuji makes a choking noise and moves like he’s been attacked - a tangle of his own limbs, he ends up crashed onto the floor, staring at Akira with wide eyes.

“Wh-What? What’d I say? I uh...” He stammers, and Akira turns his head to look at him, and ares to hope he’s not imagining the blush he sees on Ryuji’s face. “Come on! Have you looked in a mirror recently? Even I’d know a good looking guy when I see one. I’m not _blind_ , dude.”

Akira just raises an eyebrow and sits up. Ryuji stands and sits next to him, his and Akira’s legs just barely far enough apart to not touch. “Really?” Akira asks. “Then... Me or Yusuke? Who’s hotter?” Akira flashes his friend a sharp smirk and touches his chin with his hand.

Ryuji’s blush is definitely not a figment of Akira’s imagination this time. The blonde shifts away just a tad without actually moving and crosses his arms defiantly. “Nope! I know a trap when I see it. I’m not answerin’ that.”

Akira leans toward him and tosses an arm over Ryuji’s shoulder, his smirk growing ever sharper. His glasses are filled with light, blocking the devilish gleam in his eyes. “Do you even have to?” He says playfully, grabbing at the blonde’s ear with the hand over his shoulder. Ryuji tries to squirm his way out of Akira’s reach, but the black-haired boy is too swift - and uses his other arm to grab the blonde in a hug.

“Let go’a me, man!” Ryuji whines and lurches forward, desperate to escape, but with a chuckles Akira tackles him and all of the sudden, Ryuji’s on his back and his vision is full of Akira’s face - his glasses beginning to fall down his nose, away from his grey eyes, and his short black hair falls down, pointing at Ryuji. Akira looks down at Ryuji with a smirk, the same smirk he’d use when pointing his gun at a downed Shadow. The smirk of the Phantom Thief, Joker, who’d cornered his target.

“ _What’s your answer, Ryuji? Me or Yusuke?_ ” Akira brings his face closer to Ryuji’s. Ryuji’s face is blood red now, and Akira leans ever closer as he tries to stutter out a reply. But no words come, and Akira comes so close their noses are about to touch - 

Then in a flash, it’s gone. Akira’s back on the edge of the bed, hands folded in his lap and glasses straightened. Ryuji’s still on his back, staring at the ceiling with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Wha...?” He breathes, lungs struggling for air despite nothing having happened. “The hell, what was that for, man?” He says, still out of breath as he rises.

Akira simply chuckles. and scratches the back of his head. “Sorry. Got a tad out of hand,” is all he says, pointedly not looking back at his friend. Ryuji scoots forward, putting a hand on Akira’s shoulder when he reaches the edge of the bed. He retakes his place at his friend’s side, this time their legs are bumped up against one another.

“Dude, come on. We were havin’ fun, what’s got you down now?” Ryuji asks, leaning forward to look into Akira’s eyes, but the former Thief tilts his head down lower to avoid it. “And don’t try to say it’s fine. I know you well enough that you’ve got something big bothering you. You wanna tell me what it is?”

_“Very well. You can turn yourself in tomorrow morning.”_

“What time is it?” Akira asks softly.

“Huh?” Ryuji’s eyes go wide. He shifts to reach his pocket - it’s the one currently pushed against Akira’s leg. Ryuji’s hand squirms around to grasp his phone and Akira does his best to hide the blush on his face when he feels his friend’s fingers through their clothes. Eventually Ryuji gets the device free and looks at it. “It’s just past eleven. Why?”

Sae will probably want him in early tomorrow. He should get some rest.

“It’s...” Akira starts, then stops. His throat closes and he can’t bring himself to try to open it. He twiddles his thumbs and taps his feet, and the feeling of Ryuji against him does little to calm him. “It’s nothing.” He eventually settles.

“Bullshit.”

Akira looks at Ryuji, who’s eyes harden at his own. “That’s bullshit man. What did I say? I know you better than that. Let me guess...” With that, his gaze softens, and his hand returns to Akira’s shoulder. “You’ve hardly worried about anything unless it involved everyone. You always took everything in stride... unless one or all of us were about to be in danger.”

Akira wants to argue, no, he worried all the time. The Phantom Thieves were notorious criminals, dealing with dangers that no ordinary person could know, and his friends were the ones dealing with them, and he was supposed to lead them. He was Joker, was supposed to keep them safe. He worried every day. He was just good at hiding it.

Good at hiding his feelings from everyone. Except, apparently, Ryuji.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it, man, I get it. There’s shit I don’t wanna talk about either. I get it.” His hand tightens on Akira’s shoulder slacking and before falling off. “But if this involves us... I think we should know, you know? We can help you, man. You don’t have to do this alone. We have your back.”

Akira nearly spills his guts then and there. He wants so badly to tell the truth - that this is the last day they’ll spend together for a long time. But he stops himself, and only takes a moment of hesitation before he rushes forward and envelops Ryuji in a tight hug. Akira smooshes his face into Ryuji’s chest and breathes in his scent - despite not being on the track team in a long while, he still smells like the field - and sighs deeply.

“I know. Thank you.” Akira whispers. “You will know. I promise.”

It’s not a lie. When Ryuji wakes up tomorrow he’ll know. He’ll see the headlines. “The leader of the Phantom Thieves surrenders to police!” And then Ryuji will curse his name for lying to him. But that’s for later. Because right now, Akira still feels like being selfish.

“No problem, man.” Ryuji puts a hand on the back of Akira’s head, rubbing his thumb into the black hair slowly. “You know we-”

“I love you.”

“What?”

No more lies, Akira thinks to himself. “I love you. I have for a while.”

Ryuji grabs him by the shoulders and hoists him up, sitting him straight. His brown eyes are wide with shock, and maybe a few other emotions, but Akira can’t read them. Ryuji backs away from the edge, sitting in the middle of the bed. His mouth opens and shuts a few times, and his eyes dart around the room as if looking for an escape. But he stays rooted to his spot. “You... lo... how long...?”

Akira looks away, face as red as a tomato, and tilts his head down. “Since before Hawaii. Probably even earlier. I... I don’t know exactly.” It’s a random answer, because truth be told, Ryuji had been catching his eye ever since that first day. Since they had run into each other on the street, since they accidentally stumbled into Kamoshida’s Palace, since he had awakened his Persona to save Ryuji...

The two are silent. Akira stares at the ground, heart beating a mile a minute, blushing like mad. Ryuji’s eyes have stilled and now stare at Akira’s back. His body is no longer so alert, he’s relaxed a tad, though his eyes are still wide and his face has begun to glow red again.

“Please say something.” Akira strains out quickly.

“I... Wow.” Is all that comes out of Ryuji’s mouth.

“Wow?”

“Yeah, Wow.” Ryuji crosses his legs and lets a small smile form on his face. “Listen, uh... dude, that’s real flatterin’ ‘n’ all, but... uh...”

Here it comes. The rejection. Akira knew this would happen. He always messes things up, he’s messed this up. He’s gonna say no, and then it’ll be awkward, they won’t be friends anymore. This is why he can’t be selfish, this...

“It’s kinda embarrassin’, really. I’ve... had a thing for you too. But it was uh.. A bit more recent than yours.” Akira’s heart stops. He’s sure that he’s dead, and that what he’s hearing is a death-induced hallucination or something. It has to be. He ruined everything, right? That has to be what happened...

“... What’d you say...?” Akira says, so quietly, even he’s not sure he said it.

Ryuji scoots back to the edge of the bed and sits next to Akira. Their legs aren’t touching this time. “I said it’s kinda embarrassing. I... got a.... _Thing_...” He says awkwardly. “For you... too. But I only now... just realized it.”

“What do you mean?” Akira lifts his head to look at Ryuji and has to stop himself from smiling because _dammit he’s so happy right now_. He’s not just hearing things, Ryuji’s actually saying this, and he doesn’t want him to stop. “How recent?”

Ryuji hesitantly chuckles. “Like, _today_ recent.”

“ _What._ ”

“Come on, you were there. That God was standing tall thinkin’ he’d won, then you summoned that giant ass Persona and shot him right in his fuckin’ head!” To emphasize his point, Ryuji reels back and slaps Akira square in the back, jolting him forward. “You were all like ‘ _Begone!_ ’ and you looked so damn _cool!_ That was when uh...” Ryuji’s brain seemed to catch up with what he was saying; his face suddenly lit up bright red, and his words slowly trailed off. He and Akira stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, both boys unwilling to break the silence.

Eventually Akira mustered up the courage. “... Was it really that cool?”

Ryuji let out a laugh so loud, Akira was afraid Sojiro would come upstairs and yell at them for scaring away his customers. But he didn’t, and Ryuji kept laughing, slapping his knee with every few laughs. “Oh man, you really don’t know? Dude, your Phantom Thief outfit was the _best_. I know I looked good as the Skull, but you?” Ryuji finally stopped laughing and winked at Akira. “You always looked the best.”

Akira stares at his friend. His mouth hangs open. He’s sure that if any of their friends were here, they’d be laughing at him. But right now he can’t bring himself to care about how dumb he looks just staring, because there’s only one thing on his mind right now.

“So you _do_ think that I’m better looking than Yusuke?”

Ryuji’s smile instantly disappears and he flinches backwards as if he’d been slapped. He lets out a long, loud groan and covers his face with his hands. “Come the hell on, dude! You went and spoiled it!” His hands slide down his face, and he pouts, a pout that Akira can’t help but laugh at. “Hey, don’t effin’ laugh! This is serious!”

“I’m sorry.” Akira says, but only half-means it, and Ryuji can tell because of the shit-eating grin on his face. “You look adorable when you pout.” An invisible slap causes Ryuji to flinch yet again. There’s so much red on Ryuji’s face that Akira’s surprised he hasn’t passed out.

“O-Oh yeah?!” The blonde exclaims, puffing out his chest, a determined look on his face. “I’m adorable when I pout, huh? Well, uh... you’re... adorable _all the damn time! And it drives me nuts!_ ” Ryuji gets in close to Akira, the bespectacled boy making no move to get away. “You’ve always been... I dunno, nice to look at.” Ryuji continues, his face becoming softer as he spoke. “It wasn’t until today that I realized _how much_ I liked lookin’ at ya.”

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes.

“I’m still not sure if this is real.” Akira says.

“Whaddya mean?” Ryuji asks softly.

“I’ve messed up a lot of things. I don’t want our friendship to be one of them.” It’s not everything Akira wants to say. There’s so much he wants to say, to help Ryuji understand where he’s coming from. But it’s Ryuji, so he understands anyway. Ryuji somehow always knows what to say.

“It won’t be, man.” Ryuji smiles. “This? Can’t be messed up.” Akira jumps and freezes in place when Ryuji’s hand suddenly wraps itself around his. He stares down at where their hands join even as Ryuji continues speaking. “Even if this, whatever this is, don’t work out? We’ll always be friends. Nothin’ll ever change that. I promise.”

“... I promise, too.” Akira looks at Ryuji again, and returns his smile. He closes his eyes and leans his head forward, met by Ryuji’s own. The two sat there, hand in hand, head to head, for seconds, minutes, hours, however long. It doesn’t matter to Akira, because he’s truly happy in the moment, and it’s all that matters.

If this were a cheesy romance novel, they’d be all over each other, kissing until the sun comes up. And Akira does want to kiss Ryuji. He’s too adorable to not want to kiss. But he doesn’t think either of them are really ready for that. So instead they lay together on Akira’s bed, arms wrapped around one another, wrapped up in blankets. It’s warm, so warm they’re both sweating, but neither of them care.

Akira hears a clock downstairs chime in the coming of a new hour, a new day, and realizes that this can’t last. Tomorrow he’ll be separated from them - from Ann, from Yusuke, from Makoto, from Futaba, from Haru. And from Ryuji, his best friend and now boyfriend. That’s what being selfish has cost him. Tomorrow, Ryuji will be hurting the most out of all of them, wondering why Akira didn’t tell him what he was planning.

It’s thirty minutes later when Ryuji shifts reluctantly, sitting up and letting the covers fall to his lap. “Aw shit, it’s late. I gotta get home.” He looks at Akira with wide, sad eyes. Akira sits up and wraps an arm around Ryuji’s waist, and Ryuji rests his head on Akira’s shoulder. “I gotta get home, man. My mom’s got plans for tomorrow. And I’m sure Boss and Futaba wanna do something with you, too.”

Akira’s not so sure about that, but he doesn’t say that and instead asks “You and your mom celebrate Christmas?”

“Eh, kinda. We do presents and junk, but we don’t set up Christmas trees or nothin’. What about you? Did your family celebrate Christmas back home?”

“No. We didn’t,” he says simply. He doesn’t elaborate, and Ryuji doesn’t press him for details. Instead, Ryuji takes an arm and wraps it around Akira’s waist, and the two hold each other for a few more minutes. With his head nestled between his neck and shoulder, Ryuji breathes in Akira’s scent - the same scent he’s had since he moved to Tokyo. Curry and coffee. Ryuji’s not one for coffee, but he loves how Akira smells of it. It smells nice. Smells like home.

Akira feels like home.

“Oh!” Ryuji exclaims, and suddenly starts digging around in his other pocket with his free hand. “I gotcha this. It’s not much, but... I dunno. Merry Christmas, Akira.” Ryuji sticks his hand out, and Akira does the same. Ryuji drops the object into Akira’s palm. The black haired boy brings his hand to his face and opens it, looking at the object.

It’s a small, but fancy-looking watch. A sports watch, judging by the looks of it. Akira holds it in between his fingers, gazing at the screen, before smiling and looking at Ryuji. “Thank you, Ryuji.” He says softly.

“Now when we train, we ain’t ever gonna lose track of time. Do ya like it?” Ryuji asks hopefully. Akira smiles wider and takes his hand away from Ryuji’s waist, using it to fasten the watch to his other wrist. When it’s done, he holds up his hand to show it to Ryuji.

“I love it, Ryuji.” Then he takes his arm, the one with the watch on the wrist, and wraps it around Ryuji’s middle. He brings his boyfriend in closer, and with both arms embraces him, rubbing their heads together. Ryuji brings his own arms up and returns the hug, squeezing Akira closer.

The two stayed like that for several moments, before they both pulled away.

Reluctantly, Ryuji spoke. “... I should get going, before my mom starts to worry. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” He smiles such a beautiful smile. Akira can’t bring himself to lie to him, but he can’t say no either. So he nods. Ryuji’s smile brightens even more, and he slowly makes his way off of the bed.

The bed’s already cold where Ryuji lay just a moment ago. The blonde boy walks to the door, a hand on the frame as he looks back over his shoulder. “Bye, man. And uh...” His blush returns with a vengeance, turning Ryuji the brightest red Akira’s ever seen. “I... I love you too.” And with that he leaves, leaving Akira alone in the attic of Cafe LeBlanc.

Akira stares at the door for what feels like forever before he finally flops back onto his back with a thud, staring blankly at the ceiling. He’s so tired, but he doesn’t want to sleep yet. This could all still be just a dream. He could wake up tomorrow and find none of this ever really happened.

But eventually he falls asleep. He dreams of days spent with his friends, of endless days spent running wild, but mostly of time spent with Ryuji. How much time they could have spent together in a perfect world. Of how many kisses they would have shared, how many “I love you”’s they could have said. But when he wakes up, it’s to two texts.

One, from Sae Nijima, the prosecutor who requested he terminate his own freedom. The other from his boyfriend, Ryuji Sakamoto.

_ >It’s time. I’m sorry, but this cannot wait any longer. I’m outside LeBlanc right now. _

_ >Hey, man. You wanna do something today? I’ve got some cool places to show you! _

One of those texts goes unread and unanswered. And just a few hours later, the public hears of the Phantom Thief who turned himself in.

_I’m sorry Ryuji. Something came up. Some time soon. < _


End file.
